POSTSCRIPT
.SATURDAY NIGHT.
Lord Joux RUSSELL informed the House of Commons, lest night, that the Committee on the Jamaica Bill would- be postponed' from Monday to Friday next ; and that Ministers, having carefully recon- sidered the measure, would adhere to it. He complained that Sir Ro- bert Peel, by opposing the:motion that the Speaker leave the chair, had taken the most hostile course he could adopt. Sir ROBEUT PEEL re- peated his reason for taking that course—he found it impossible to alter the Jamaica Bill in Committee so as to meet his views ; but if he suc- ceeded in preventing the further progress of the measure, he would aid Government in forming another. Lord Joint RUSSELL said, that Sir Robert Peel's proposition would not enable Government to meet any emergency that might arise. Mr. HUME would oppose the suspension of the Jamaica constitution ; which he was certain the House would never sanction. He had "supplicated" Ministers to pause, but they would not listen to him.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL announced his intention to introduce a bill on the subject of Canada on Monday week.
The remainder of the night was almost entirely occupied with a dis- cussion on Sir Robert Peel's Bill for the trial of Election Petitions. We have only room to state results ; and our want of space is the less to be regretted as the speeches were exceedingly dry, and presented no features of novelty or interest.
Colonel DAVIES moved to refer the bill to a Select Committee. Sir GEORGE STRICKLAND seconded the motion ; and took occasion to defend his conduct as Chairman of the Hull Election Committee; which Sir HENRY HARDINGE, after he sat down, sharply impugned. Mr. VER- NON SMITH thought Sir Robert Peel's bill would not provide Commit- tees free from party predilections. Sir ROBERT PEEL and Lord How- icg opposed Colonel Davies's motion; which was negatived without a division.
Mr. CHARLES BULLER, after a discussion respecting the formality of the motion, was allowed to propose an instruction to the Committee, to -provide for the appointment of permanent Assessors, and of a Court of .Appeal from the Revising Barristers; composed of those Assessors. Mr. CHILDERS and Mr. RICH thought that improvements might be effecte& in the mode of choosing Chairmen of Committees ; and that the law, in reference to most disputable points, might be settled. Mr. WARBURTON thought much might be done by improving the law. Sir ROBERT PEEL defended his own plan. And, on Lord JOHN RUSSELL'S ..SUggestion, Mr. CHARLES BULLER 'withdrew that part of his motion which propOSed the appoiutuient of Assessors ; the other, relative to the Court of Appeal, being carried.
Mr. SMITH O'BRIEN moved that the Committee be postponed for six months. Mr. O'CONNELL seconded the motion ; but it was subsequently withdrawn. The Speaker left the chair; and the first twenty clauses were agreed to in Committee.
In the House of Lords, seme discussion arose on a motion by the Duke of RICHMOND for returns respecting the liberation of prisoners at
the Sussex Assizes by Lord Abinger. It appeared that the Sussex Magistrates had committed prisoners for trial over the Assizes, which intervened, to the Quarter-Sessions; Lord Abinger, the Judge on Circuit, called these prisoners into court, and no evidence being ready, ordered
them to be discharged by proclamation. This proceeding seems to ave given great offence to the Justices; but Lerci ABINGE.n defended it, on the ground that prisoners had a right to a speedy trim, ant'. th?.! it was contrary to the spirit of British law to deprive them of the benefit of the gaol-delivery at the Assizes. The Duke of Richmond's motion was agreed to: but we suspect he will act wisely in letting the matter drop, and reforming his Magisterial practice.
The Earl of ABEREEEN presented a petition from certain inhabitants of Newfoundland, praying for the abolition of the House of Assembly;
the conduct of which they described as mercenary, violent, arbitrary,
and disgraceful in the extreme. The Earl of DURHAM presented a pe- tition from the Speaker and House of Assembly, and signed also by 2,000 of the colonists, denying the allegations in Lord Aberdeen's peti- tion, and praying for inquiry ; which Lord Durham also recommended. The Earl of RIPON said, he was the author of the Newfoundland consti- tution; which he thought it desirable to confer on the colony, when it became necessary to tax the inhabitants. The Marquis of NORMANBY had written for information to the Governor of Newfoundland ; and was not prepared then to say that a Parliamentary inquiry was necessary. Lord BROUGHAM mentioned several cases in which the British House of Commons in former times had been guilty of acts as arbitrary and dis- graceful as those attributed to the Newfoundland Assembly. The peti- tions were laid on the table.
The othee Parliamentary business does not require notice here.
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